What should a Director of Syracuse Football Analytics be looking for to improve the team?

We have talked a lot about the need for Syracuse Orange Football to get smarter on and off the field, with recruiting strategy, on field risk management, general player development, and all of the things that go into turning a bottom level power 5 program into something respectable.

It seems that Dino Babers is doing what many head coaches have already done and looking to bring in a numbers expert to help evolve these processes, as Syracuse has a Director of Football Analytics position open. New Offensive Coordinator Robert Anae and Quarterbacks Coach Jason Beck are intimately familiar with this role as it was helmed by Matt Edwards at Virginia. (Wink, wink)

While we know the new Director will need to help Babers work on his fourth down decision making, there are plenty of other advanced stats the Orange need to be looking at when it comes to success for the program. Here’s a few I think are key indicators for success:

Hay to Barn Ratio

We were told many times that the Hay was Never in the Barn. While that may be true, some hay must be in the barn in some capacity. How much hay is there to put inside the barn? If they hay is not in said barn, where is it that a barn is required? And how often are Syracuse players attempting to put said hay in said barn? These are the important questions.

Familia Efficiency

Look, I’m the efficiency guy, I get it. But if the Orange are all about Familia, they need to make sure that the Familia feeling and culture is being maximized to it’s fullest Familia fulfillment.

Humbleness and Hunger Above Replacement (HHAR)

We know that you have to stay Humble and Hungry to be successful in sports, so says the prophets John Rothstein and Dion Watiers. However, since everyone knows that living in a state of humbless and hunger is important, the Orange needs to make sure they have players more humble and more hungry than the average team. Then take those players to Dinosaur.

SPUNK (Special Punter Utilization Not Kicking)

We know how special Riley Dixon was. The Heisman voters? Not so much. That said, the Orange special teams needs to improve not just in the act of kicking the ball more consistently, but finding an athlete special enough to pin a team inside their own 20 and running fakes against top 10 teams when they come to the Dome.

What other stats should the new Director be tracking? Let us know in the comments.